Peking Pays Last Respects to Comrade Kang Sheng

THE Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and the State Council of the People's Republic of China on December 16 issued an obituary notice which reads in full as follows: The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and the State Council of the People's Republic of China announce with deep grief: Comrade Kang Sheng, Member of the C.P.C. Central Committee, Member of the Political Bureau of the C.P.C. Central Committee. Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the C.P.C. Central Committee, Vice Chairman of the C.P.C. Central Committee, and Vice-Chairman of the N.P.C. Standing Committee, failed to respond to medical treatment and died of illness at 06:05 hours on December 16, 1975 in Peking at the age of 77. Comrade Kang Sheng was a fine member of the Communist Party of China, a great revolutionary fighter of the Chinese people and Marxist theoretician, and one of the outstanding leaders of the Party and the state. The life of Comrade Kang Sheng was one of fighting for the cause of communism, one of persevering in the continued revolution. During the new-democratic revolutionary struggle, during the socialist revolution and construction, during the struggle to strengthen our Party's unity with the Marxist-Leninist Parties and organizations the world over and to combat modern revisionism, and during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, he remained loyal to the Party and the people, steadfastly implemented and carried out Chairman Mao's proletarian revolutionary line, resolutely repudiated the revisionist lines of Wang Ming, Liu Shao-chi and Lin Piao, and staunchly defended Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought, thus making an immortal contribution to the Party and the people and winning the wholehearted love and respect of the whole Party, the whole army and the people of the whole country. The whole Party, the whole army and the people of the whole country should learn from Comrade Kang Sheng's proletarian revolutionary spirit and his noble qualities and, under the leadership of the Party Central Committee headed by Chairman Mao, take class struggle as the key link, adhere to the Party's basic line, persevere in continuing the revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat, consolidate and develop the victories of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, unite as one, and strive to consolidate the dictatorship of the proletariat, combat and prevent revisionism, and build our country into a powerful modem socialist state. Comrade Kang Sheng, a great proletarian revolutionary of the Chinese people and a glorious fighter against revisionism, is immortal.

Memorial Ceremony

A memorial ceremony was held in Peking on the afternoon of December 21 to pay last respects to the late Comrade Kang Sheng. Flags wore flown at half-mast in mourning throughout the country that day. The ceremony took place in the Great Hall of the People in a solemn atmosphere. A streamer hung at the entrance to the auditorium read: ''Comrade Kang Sheng, a great proletarian revolutionary of the Chinese people and a glorious fighter against revisionism, is immortal!” A portrait of the late Comrade Kang Sheng framed in black was hung in the auditorium and an urn containing his ashes covered with the flag of the Communist Party of China was placed there. There were wreaths from our great leader Chairman Mao and the C.P.C. Central Committee.There also were wreaths from other Party and state leaders Chu Teh, Chou En-lai,, Wang Hung-wen, Yeh Chien-ying, Teng Hsiao-ping, Soong Ching Ling, Chang Chun-chiao, Wei Kuo-ching, Liu Po-cheng, Chiang Ching, Hsu Shih-yu, Hua Kuo-feng, Chi Teng-kuei, WuThe, Wang Tung-hsing, Chen Yung-kuei, Chen Hsi-lien, Li Hsien-nien, Li Teh-sheng, Yao Wen-yuan, Wu Kuei-hsien, Su Chen-hua and Ni Chih-fu, Saifudin, Kuo Mo-jo, Chang Ting-cheng, Ngapo Ngawang-Jigme, and Yu Chiu-li. Wreaths also had been sent by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the State Council, the Military Commission of the C.P.C. Central Committee, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the General Office of the C.P.C. Central Committee, the Organization Department of the C.P.C. Central Committee, the International Liaison Department of the C.P.C. Central Committee, the United Front Work. Department of the C.P.C. Central Committee, the Party School of the C.P.C Central Committee, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the Hsinhua News Agency, Renming Ribao, Guangming Ribao, the Central Broadcasting Administration the Bureau far the Translation of Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin Works of the C.P.C. Central Committee, the General Office of the N.P.C. Standing Committee, the Supreme People’s Court, the Ministry at Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Public Health, the General Office of the State Council, the Stale Administrative Bureau of Museums and Archaeological Data, the headquarters of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the P.LA. General Political Department , the PLA General Logistics Department, the Office of the Military Commission of the C.P.C. Central Committee, the CPC Peking Municipal Committee, the Peking Municipal revolutionary Committee, the C.P.C. Shanghai Municipal Committer, the Shanghai Municipal revolutionary Committee, the Shanghai Trade Union Committee. the C.P.C. Shanghai Municipal Central Committee, the Shantung Provincial Revolutionary Committee, the C.P.C. Shensi Provincial Committee, the Shensi Provincial Revolutionary Committee and the CPC Yenan Committee.

Wang Hung-wen,Vice-Chairmen of the C.P.C. Central Committee, presided over the ceremony, which started with funeral music and the gathering standing in silent tribute. Yeh Chien-ying, Vice-Chairman of the C.P.C. Central Committee, delivered the memorial speech. (See p. 7 for full text)

Attending the Memory was Comrade Tsao Yi-ou, Member of the C.P.C. Central Committee, comrade-in-arms and widow of the late Comrade Kang Sheng. The Party and state leaders, present expressed their sincere sympathy to Comrade Tsao Yi-ou and her son Chang Tzu-shih and others. After the ceremony, the urn containing the ashes Comrade Kang Sheng was escorted to the Papaoahan Cemetery of Fallen Revolutionaries by Chi Tung-kuei, Wang Tung-hsing, Wu Teh, Ku Mu and other comrades and laid there. When Comrade Kang Sheng was ill, Party and state leaders went to the hospital to tee him on several occasions. Party and state leaders paid their last respects to the remains on December 18. Others who paid their last respects to the remains of Comrade Kang Sheng included Members and Alternate Members of the C.P.C. Central Committee. Members of the N.P.C Standing Committer and Members of the Standing Committee of the CP.PCC National Committee now in Peking, leading numbers of the departments under the C.P.C. Central Committee and State organs, the general departments, services and arms of the PLA, the Science and Technology Commission for National Defence, military academics, the Peking Units and the Peking Garrison of the PL.A., the C.P.C Peking Municipal Committee and the Peking Municipal Revolutionary Committee. and staff members of the Party and government organization , PLA. Commanders and fighters and representatives of worker-peasant masses in Peking.

At the Memorial Ceremony

Paying last respects to the late Comrade Kang Sheng at the Working People's Palace of Culture.

Condolences Offered

On December 19 and 20, 15,000 workers, peasants, government cadres, students and P.L.A. commanders and fighters in the Chinese capital, with deep grief, went to the Working People's Palace of Culture to offer their condolences and mourn the death of Comrade Kang Sheng. Flags were flown at half-mast in mourning at Tien An Men, Hsinhuamen, the Working People's Palace of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Wreaths sent by our great leader Chairman Moo and the C.P.C. Central Committee, other Party and state leaders, Party, government and P.L.A. organizations ,and mass organizations were in the hall. There also were wreaths from Enver Hoxha, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Albanian Party of Labour; from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Burma; the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Thailand; the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Malaya; the Delegation of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Indonesia; the Political Bureau of the Organization of the Communists of Italy (Marxist-Leninist); as well as from the people of Guinea led by Ahmed Sekou Toure. Wreaths also were sent by the diplomatic corps in Peking, embassies of a number of countries in Peking, foreign delegations and friendly personages visiting China, and foreign experts, students and trainees in Peking. Among those extending their condolences were heads or members of the diplomatic missions of Afghanistan, Burma, Cambodia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam, the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Republic of South Viet Nam, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkey, the Yemen Arab Republic, Algeria, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Madagascar. Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria. Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone. Somalia, the Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Upper Volta, Zaire, Zambia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Guyana. Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Albania, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Hellenic Republic, Italy, the Netherlands. Norway, Romania, Spain. Sweden, Switzerland, Britain, Yugoslavia, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The Head of the Mission of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Peking was present to tender condolences. Also present to offer their condolences were the friendship visiting group of the Workers' Party of Korea led by Kim Huan, Member of the W.P.K. Central Committee and Department Director of the W.P.K. Central Committee, with Kim Tae Ho as its deputy leader; Li Chung Song, Vice-Minister of Power of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea; the Delegation of the Movement of the People's United Action of Chile; and American friends Frank Coe, Ruth Coe and Sol Adler, and British friend Pat Adler. Also at the ceremony were Members and Alternate Members of the C.P.C. Central Committee, Members of the N.P.C. Standing Committee and Members of the Standing Committee of the C.P.P.C.C. National Committee now in Peking, leading members of departments under the C.P.C. Central Committee and government departments, leading members of the general departments and services and arms of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the P.L.A. Peking Units and Peking Garrison, leading members of the C.P.C. Peking Municipal Committee and the Peking Municipal Revolutionary Committee, representatives of the C.P.C. Shantung Provincial Committee, the Shantung Provincial Revolutionary Committee, the C.P.C. Chiaonan County Committee and the Chiaonan County Revolutionary Committee.